#CAAHoops MBB Notebook - Nov. 4
Miles McQuiggan
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 4, 2024) – The 2024-25 CAA men’s basketball season tips off with the busiest day in league history, as 14 contests from lunch time to a West Coast game begin the year.
The opening night of play features games in three time zones, two ranked opponents, and two more receiving votes in the AP poll.
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
PRESEASON ALL-CAA ANNOUNCEMENT
NEWS AND NOTES
AND. HERE. WE. GO.
The 2024-25 college basketball season begins on Monday with all 14 CAA men’s programs in action. The 14 games in one day are the most in league history.
The day tips off with the nation’s first D1 vs. D1 game at noon when Charleston faces Southern Illinois on The Field of 68’s YouTube page and concludes when Towson visits Saint Mary’s in a 10 p.m. ET start.
CAA teams will face two ranked opponents (Stony Brook at No. 18 Marquette, Elon at No. 9 North Carolina) and two receiving votes (Monmouth at Michigan State, Towson at Saint Mary’s.)
ROCK THE VOTE
The league calendar is quiet on Tuesday as teams are off for Election Day, although a handful of games will be played across the country.
CAA action will resume on Wednesday when Campbell visits Virginia, a university founded by the third President, Thomas Jefferson, a William & Mary alum.
THE C IN CBS IS FOR... COASTAL?
CBS Sports Network, CBS, and Paramount+ will televise 29 games involving CAA men’s basketball teams in 2024-25.
N.C. A&T will host NC Central and Hampton will welcome Howard on Saturday, Dec. 28 for the CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase. The games will be televised as a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.
The 24-game regular-season package on CBS Sports Network begins Thursday, Jan. 9 when Elon visits William & Mary and concludes Saturday, March 1, when the Phoenix heads to Stony Brook.
The final three games of the 2025 Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be on CBS Sports Network on March 10 and 11.
EYE ON THE TIGERS
Towson is the league’s preseason favorite for the second time in the last three years. The Tigers return four of five starters from the program’s third-straight 20-win season a year ago, including reigning Rookie of the Year Tyler Tejada and fellow preseason all-league pick Christian May.
ANTE UP
Charleston’s Ante Brzovic was unanimously selected by the Cougars’ opposing coaches as the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. Brzovic was an All-CAA First Team selection a year ago and has helped Charleston to 58 wins and two CAA titles over the last two years.
NO INTRODUCTION NEEDED
The league’s three new head coaches for 2024-25 include two with a wealth of experience leading Division I programs.
Charleston’s Chris Mack is in his 14th year as a Division I head coach after spending nine years at Xavier and four at Louisville. William & Mary’s Brian Earl spent the last eight seasons at Cornell before taking over in Williamsburg this spring. Hampton’s Ivan Thomas will be the lone D1 head coaching debut in the CAA on Monday; Thomas spent the last eight seasons as an assistant at Providence and Georgetown.
TEAM NOTES
Campbell
Jasin Sinani was named a Preseason All-CAA honorable mention selection.
Charleston
Charleston has sold out all home games at TD Arena via season tickets prior to Opening Day for the second-consecutive year.
Delaware
Delaware is the lone CAA team to open the year at home against a Division I opponent.
Drexel
The Dragons will play two games at Wells Fargo Center in non-conference play: the Big 5 tripleheader on December 7 and a game against Penn State on December 21.
Elon
TK Simpkins was selected as a Preseason All-CAA honoree; Simpkins averaged 18.9 points per game over his last nine of the 2023-24 season.
Hampton
Kyrese Mullen was selected as a preseason All-CAA honoree; Mullen ranks second among returning scorers and first among rebounders.
Hofstra
Hofstra will follow its two-game season-opening homestand with a game across the street at the Coliseum against Seton Hall, followed by trips to UMass, Florida State, and Houston, and a three-game set in the Bahamas.
Monmouth
Jaret Valencia and Jack Collins earned Preseason All-CAA recognition with Valencia on the Second Team and Collins collecting honorable mention accolades.
N.C. A&T
Preseason All-CAA honoree Landon Glasper is the conference’s leading returning scorer.
UNCW
Joshua Corbin and Bo Montgomery were recognized on the Preseason All-CAA honorable mention list.
Northeastern
Masai Troutman was named a Preseason All-CAA selection.
Stony Brook
Stony Brook will begin the year with a three-game MTE that sends the Seawolves to No. 18 Marquette, Central Michigan, and George Mason.
Towson
Tyler Tejada, Christian May, and Dylan Williamson earned Preseason All-CAA recognition, with Tejada on the first team, May making the second team, and Williamson earning honorable mention recognition.
William & Mary
The Tribe will play six in-state Division I opponents this season (Hampton, Radford, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Richmond, VCU).